World Golf Tour(TM) Secures Panorama Capital as Lead Investor in Series B Funding

Fri May 2, 2008 2:32pm EDT
 
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SAN FRANCISCO--(Business Wire)--
World Golf Tour (www.worldgolftour.com), creators of the world's
most authentic online golf experience, today announced Panorama
Capital, a Menlo Park, Calif.-based venture capital firm, as its lead
investor in the Series B funding round. The new funding also includes
participation from current investor Battery Ventures.

   Launching in Beta this summer, World Golf Tour will bring the
prestigious Kiawah Island Golf Resort, located in Charleston, S.C., to
the Internet for play for the first time. Since the launch of its demo
in May 2007, the revolutionary golf game has attracted more than
500,000 players from over 150 different countries.

   "World Golf Tour is leading the creation of compelling new media
experiences on the Web," said Michael Jung, Principal of Panorama
Capital. "The technology behind the product is like nothing else on
the market and enables a very compelling proposition." As part of the
financing Michael Jung has also joined the board of directors.

   "We are thrilled to have Panorama's support and guidance as we
move towards our launch," said World Golf Tour CEO YuChiang Cheng. "We
had many firms vying for participation in our investment round, but
Panorama's dedication to our vision, deep understanding of online
consumer services and valuable media relationships made them the ideal
partner."

   The World Golf Tour experience will offer numerous monetization
and charitable opportunities for partners and sponsors alike.
Currently, World Golf Tour is working with some of the top names in
golf, such as PGA.com, TaylorMade and adidas Golf to showcase products
within the online experience. In addition to recreating courses for
competitive play and sponsored tournaments, World Golf Tour will
feature in-depth information about resorts in the game, as well as
provide direct links to tee time reservation systems and resort
booking sites.

   ABOUT WORLD GOLF TOUR

   San Francisco-based World Golf Tour(TM) (WGT) offers the world's
most photo-realistic online golf experience. WGT seeks to democratize
the game of golf via the Web, making golf accessible and affordable
for all, and to build an online community based on its engaging,
interactive golf experience. WGT enables multiple players to explore
famous courses simultaneously and sparks competition with tournament
play and real-life prizes. For more information, please visit
www.worldgolftour.com.

   ABOUT PANORAMA CAPITAL

   Panorama Capital (http://www.panoramacapital.com) is a venture
capital firm focused on technology and life sciences companies.
Panorama Capital has a singular focus: helping entrepreneurs build
market-leading companies. Panorama invests in entrepreneurs and teams
who share its values: a passion to build great companies; an
unyielding focus on people and teamwork; and a commitment to
integrity. Panorama's philosophy is to make that same commitment to
the teams it supports, over and above its financial investment, and to
take a hands-on, highly collaborative approach to investing, bringing
to each portfolio company the team's extensive operating and investing
experience.

Allison & Partners for World Golf Tour
Casey Adams, 415-277-4928
Casey@allisonpr.com
or
Antenna Group for Panorama Capital
Jasmine Harris, 415-977-1929
jasmine@antennagroup.com

Copyright Business Wire 2008

 

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